This invention relates to an automatic sewing machine, more particularly to an improvement of a diriving mechanism therefor.
In the mass production of clothes, automatic sewing machines are used for sewing cut pieces of cloths according to a predetermined pattern. In such automatic sewing machine, pieces of cloth are clamped between a pair of clamping plates which are mounted on a supporting head and the head is moved along two axes orthogonally intersecting on the table of the sewing machine to follow a predetermined sewing pattern.
The head is supported by a X table and a Y table which are parallel with the table of the sewing machine and moved in the X and Y directions respectively. In the prior art automatic sewing machine the X and Y tables are mounted one above the other. In this case it is necessary to provide a notch for the sewing machine table for passing supporting members of the X and Y tables and to impart sufficient stiffness to the supporting members. This increases the weight of the members to be driven that is the cloth clamping plates, the supporting head and the X and Y tables. This means that a powerful and expensive driving source is necessary.
In other design, X and Y tables are disposed above the sewing machine table for the purpose of avoiding to form a notch through the sewing machine table. Although with this construction it is possible to decrease the driving power the members of the driving system mounted above the sewing machine table interferes with the sewing operation thus decreasing the operation area. Moreover, it is difficult to construct the driving system to be dust proof, to ensure safeness of the operator and to improve appearance.